The 100
by Katiethegreat
Summary: After a nuclear war, the Earth has become unsurvivable. The last survivors of the humankind are stranded on a spaceship, but after 450 years, time has run out. They have to send a 100 young prisoners to the ground to see if they can finally return home. What happens when the delinquents find out they're not the only survivors of the war? (Bakura/Malik, thiefshipping, AU)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello to all of you! So, for anyone wondering what this is about, I got the idea from the TV series "The 100". My story will be different from the original plot of the series, but I will also use some of the original plot. So, let's see what this leads to!

Aside from Bakura/Malik, I think this fic'll have at least some Tristan/Otogi and Marik/Ryo. Possibly other pairings as well, but I haven't decided on that yet.  
Also, before you get confused, Malik and Marik are two different people in this story. I call "Yami Malik" just Marik.

* * *

The Ark.  
A spaceship where the entirety of the surviving human race lived.  
Hundreds of years ago, 449 years to be exact, the Earth was destroyed by a nuclear war, leaving the ground simmering with radiation and thus, un-survivable.

The only people who had survived the war were the ones sent to space right before this happened, the spaceships from twelve different nations had been united and so the Ark was born.

Deep in the bowels of the Ark, in his darkened cell, Malik was roused from sleep by loud noises coming from outside his door. It was unusual, as most of the time the prisoners from this section were kept in their cells and monitored closely. He listened, perplexed, as the noises became louder every second that passed.

This particular prison section was for the young prisoners, the one where the Council put away all under 20-year-olds, who were by law not allowed to be executed yet. The other prison section for older citizens of the Ark was much smaller in size, and none of the prisoners were actually kept in there for longer than a week before their execution.

The Council was a leading force of the people on the Ark, a group of six who discussed and decided on the laws by voting among each other, after having been selected to the job by the ordinary people. A Chancellor was elected every six years, and mostly remained impartial. If the Council happened to end up in a draw though, the Chancellor stepped in with his right to vote.

The rules and laws were strict, but Malik understood that. He knew how dire the situation on the Ark really was. All supplies were running low, finally about to run out.

He perched up on his hard bed, listening closely to the noises. It sounded like yelling.  
Malik's whole body was strung tight and ready to bounce by the time he heard keys being pushed into the lock of his cell, and saw a man – a security guard – enter the room.

"Malik Ishtar, prisoner of the cell 73", the man said. Malik nodded and warily stood up from his bed. The first thing he had noticed about the man was that he was in full gear, definitely armed with a gun, and held a tranquillizer in his hand.  
"Please state your age, status and personal identification number", the guard said – Malik vaguely felt like he recognized the man – and stepped closer.

As the man approached him though, Malik pulled back. He had learned to be mistrustful of the guards in section 4, they were well known for getting impatient with the prisoners quickly after all. Malik had first-hand experience of this.

"Why?", he asked. A small part of him told him to take down the guard and make a run for it, but the logical part of him knew he wouldn't get very far. Seriously, where would he even escape to on a spaceship?

"Your age, status and personal identification number", the guard repeated, more sternly this time.

Malik's brain went into overdrive. The only times the guards asked for this information was when they took in the prisoners and when they took them out to be executed.  
"Why? It's not my time yet, I don't turn twenty for another seven months", the blond teen said, voice shaky.

He wouldn't be executed now. They couldn't execute him.  
It was against the law.

"Do as you are told", the man was starting to get irritated with him, Malik could tell. They didn't go easy on him just because he was the younger brother of the head of security (in fact, he guessed that was why they often treated him more roughly) on the Ark, so Malik stiffened at the tone of voice and said, "Nineteen, prisoner number 64 of the Ark, 2312-T0960"

"Good, now step away from the wall, with your hands held over your head", the guard said then, again stepping closer.  
"Tell me what's going on", Malik said, refusing to do anything more before he knew why they were doing this, "We get reviewed at 20, I should have a chance of getting out of here. Are they reducing population?"

The noises outside intensified, the shouts and screams getting louder.  
It sounded like a lot of people were being taken out of their cells today, and Malik wanted to know why. They couldn't execute them all today, right?

"Prisoner number 64, step away from the wall now", the man barked at him, finally losing his patience. Malik knew they didn't like being questioned, and often got more violent if provoked.

So, Malik made a split second decision and barged at the guard, taking him by surprise and knocking him down before running into the hallway.

Malik leaned over the railing from which he could see all the other prison cells in the section, and felt his eyes widen. There were prisoners being dragged out of their cells on every level of the prison section, some of them struggling and some of them crying in distress.

Were they really finally reducing population? It would make sense if they were, because they would definitely start with the prisoners.  
But why now? Malik thought there was still plenty of time before it had to come to this.  
"Prisoner number 64", the guard had finally caught up to him and was now standing behind him with a gun firmly in his grasp, "hold your hands above your head and get down on your knees"

Malik stared at him for a second, before dashing off in the other direction.  
He had to find his brother. Rishid would know what was going on, he was privy to the Council meetings after all.

Malik heard footsteps behind him, and knew he was being chased. But his brother had to be here somewhere. If Malik just got to him before getting caught, then he would get answers.  
If they really were reducing population, his brother would be overlooking the process himself. Malik took a random turn to the left, and gasped as someone gripped him tight on his biceps.

The blond prisoner struggled, trying to get free before he heard a familiar voice call his name. When Malik looked up, he could only stare for a second. His brother was right there, gripping his arms and staring down at him.

Malik had not seen his brother in a year and a half, not since he had been locked up. The Ark did allow visitors to the prisoners every three months, but since he was in isolation, Rishid had not been permitted to see him and so the only ones he ever saw were the guards who would do regular check-ups on him and bring food two times a day.

"Malik", his brother said calmly, the same soothing tint to his voice that he had used when Malik was a child and had had a nightmare, it always made Malik calm down.  
"Brother", he croaked out, voice brimming with emotion. The young male was overwhelmed after not speaking to Rishid in almost two years.

The man looked exactly the same as before. His head shaved bald on the top and sides, but the rest of his long, coal black hair was pulled on a low ponytail, the exact opposite of Malik's golden hair. Brown eyes with the gentlest look in them and a kind smile.  
He smelled just like Malik remembered, and sounded just like he remembered.

But Malik saw the worry lines etched into his features, and asked, "What's going on? Why are we being taken out of the cells? They're reducing population, aren't they?"

His voice cracked at the end, fear finally pounding into him with full force.  
He didn't want to die yet. He still had almost a whole year left.

He felt like he couldn't control his breathing anymore, and squeezed his eyes shut.  
"Malik, it's okay", the older man said, running a hand through Malik's silken hair affectionately, "I need you to listen, okay? Listen closely, brother"

Malik nodded shakily, hanging onto every word his brother said.  
It was amazing to hear Rishid's voice again, he had missed it.

"You're being sent to the ground", he said, making Malik jerk back and stare at him with eyes wide from shock. The ground?  
That was impossible, right? They wouldn't be able to survive, there was still too much radiation. That's what everyone had always told him.

They'd lived in the space for generations. Earth was the dream for everyone on the Ark, the goal everyone worked hard to achieve, but they had been told it would take another hundred years until they could safely go.

"You're being sent down there to see if the ground is, in fact, survivable", Rishid continued, voice as steady as always, but his eyes betraying the worry he felt, "You will all have wristbands monitoring your internal organs and there will be devices that allow you to communicate with us in the drop-ship. You won't be alone in this"  
"N-no, no, it's too dangerous. We can't – How is this possible? There's still too much radiation", Malik said, not knowing exactly how he should react. The Earth had been a life-long dream, all the people of the Ark had dreamed of returning to Earth long before he had even been born.

Malik was scared, terrified even, and refused to move as his brother tried to guide him in the right direction, but at the same time continued to cling to the bigger man's clothes in search of comfort.

"Malik, you have to go", Rishid said, "You need to take this chance. If you stay here you will be executed in less than a year, but this chance gives you the opportunity to live. To live on the ground"

Malik finally nodded, feeling dazed. This wasn't real.  
This couldn't be real.

His brother pulled out a tranquillizer he had been carrying in his gear bag, and Malik let him inject the fluid without a struggle. Malik's vision started hazing into blackness, and the last thing he felt was his brother's arms, wrapped around him protectively.

* * *

When he woke up, he realized he was bound to a seat.  
No, not bound, he just had a safety belt holding him in place. Malik wiggled in his place, and finally opened his eyes.

It was a drop-ship, filled with people. They were all sitting there in a tense silence, eyeing around warily and Malik found himself doing the same.  
"I see you have finally woken up, Malik-kun", a calm voice next to him said.  
Malik nearly jumped out of his skin and whipped his head around so quickly it was a wonder he didn't get a whiplash.

Next to him was Ryo Bakura, the quiet, melancholy and kind boy he sort of remembered from science class. Where did he come from? Malik hadn't noticed him at all.

"Ryo, right?", he asked and the white haired boy nodded, giving him a small smile.  
"Why are you here?", the blond couldn't help but ask. The boy didn't look like a criminal at all. "I tried to steal some extra food for my mother", Ryo said, sighing, "She was ill"

Malik grimaced. A lot of people were put away for stealing, and he didn't think it was right. Of course they should be punished somehow, but execution was way too big of a punishment for that.

"What about you, Malik-kun?", Ryo seemed intrigued. His curiosity was no wonder, Malik hadn't been allowed to see or speak to anyone, and yet everyone knew he was in isolation. "I… heard some things I wasn't supposed to", was the only explanation the taller teen could give Ryo. He had sworn under oath he wouldn't tell anyone about what he knew after all.

Malik also knew that it probably didn't matter now, seeing as they were not on the Ark anymore, but he still felt the need to keep the secret.  
Ryo looked at him, as if he was trying to figure something out, and then finally said, "That's why they kept you in total isolation, isn't it, Malik-kun?"  
Malik nodded, still feeling bitter about that. It's not like he would've told anyone anyway.

Suddenly the drop-ship started moving, rough, jerky movements that made some of the people inside scream in fright. Malik squeezed his seat and breathed through his nose to calm himself down. Ryo had paled next to him, and Malik had to take a moment to wonder how the boy could even get any paler anymore.

The small screen situated to Malik's left flickered a few times, and finally turned on.  
The Chancellor was sitting in his office, looking straight at the camera.

"Prisoners of the Ark, today you will be sent to the ground", the pale man started his speech, "You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you… expendable"

"God, he's a dick", Malik scoffed out when he heard the last words of the Chancellor. Ryo nodded, looking a little grim himself.

"However, those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean, should the ground be survivable when you get there", the man on the screen continued, "Your drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain and it was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain 300 people for up to two years. Communication devices have been installed into the drop-ship. May we meet again"

And with those final words the screen flickered again and turned off. They were left in silence once more, before the engine fully roared into life and the drop-ship started moving again. People screamed and clutched tighter onto their seats.

The whole drop-ship jerked and clanked, making Malik think it was going to tear apart at any given moment and they'd all die before they even made it to the ground. The lights were flickering on and off, and Malik found it hard to breathe. He was terrified.

Then, after a long, agonizingly horrifying period of time, the drop-ship made impact with the ground. The landing was rough enough to emit loud gasps of pain. After a moment of once again sitting in a shocked, eerie silence, someone whispered, "Listen. No machine hum"  
"That's a first", Ryo mumbled under his breath, still breathing hard. Malik finally unbuckled his safety belt and stood up. A few people followed his example dazedly. Ryo looked at him with anxious eyes, but stood up all the same and looked around.

"The outer door is on the lower level", he said to Malik, who was already making his way towards the ladder in the middle of the drop-ship. They all piled out after Malik, joining the people on the lower level. Most of them looked scared, unsure, and Malik couldn't really blame them. He had no idea what to do, or how to feel. He didn't know what would await them outside, but _someone_ needed to do something.

He reached for the lever that would open the outdoor, but froze when someone yelled out, "Wait! We can't just open the door. The air could be toxic"  
Malik looked back, and couldn't make out who said it, so he smiled in a way he hoped was reassuring, "Well, if that's the case we're all dead anyway. We can't stay in here forever either"

And when no one else made further objections, he pulled the lever.

The door creaked omniously, slowly opening and letting the sunshine and soft breeze of fresh air into the drop-ship. Malik held his breath as he stepped forward, and for the first time in his life, he saw the Earth.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay! That's the first chapter :) I haven't written anything in a few months actually, so I'm feeling a bit rusty, but I seriously hope it was enjoyable enough.  
I apologize for any errors and weird sentences (please do keep in mind English is not my first language) and... I should get to writing chapter 2 I suppose! Please rate and if you'd be so kind as to leave a review, I would be so grateful :3

See ya soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Okay, so here's chapter 2 :D Idk what happened with this chapter, it's completely different from what I wanted lol, but anyway, I hope you enjoy and I apologize in advance for any possible mistakes.

* * *

It was beautiful.  
The Earth was nothing like Malik had imagined before, but it was all the more lovely and enticing. The green, humongous trees all around, the warm summer breeze on his skin. The tall grass swaying in the wind and the multicolored flowers. He felt as if he had stepped into a dream.

For the first time in his life Malik stepped onto the soil of Earth and breathed in the sweet air. There was a moment of full calm and peace in his mind. He was the first human to walk on the face of Earth in over 400 years.

The others were still on the drop-ship, holding their breaths and looking as if Malik was going to burst into flames or drop dead any moment now, but when the blond teenager turned around, raised his hands above his head and let out a joyous scream, they all joined in and hurriedly jumped out of the drop-ship. Ryo looked on with a smile on his face as the young prisoners jumped up and down the clearing they'd landed on, exploring everything in sight with enthusiasm he had never seen before. After a while of looking around himself, he walked to Malik, who had by now calmed down enough to stay on the side and pull out a map from the pack bag he had with him.

"Malik-kun", he said, noticing a frown on the taller teen's face, "What's wrong?"  
Malik looked at him, then back at the map and then at their surroundings.  
"Do you see that peak over there?", Malik then asked, pointing at a mountain on the other side of the forest. Ryo nodded.  
"That's Mt. Weather", Malik said, frowning deeper, "Which means there's a radiation soaked forest between us and our next meal"  
An unpleasant feeling settled in Malik's gut as he studied the map further.

They had no idea what was out there, nor were they equipped properly.  
Malik's best subject in school had been Earth skills, but they only covered very basic things in most of the classes he had taken. But even despite all the worry and fear, as Malik looked around the forest clearing, he felt his heartrate speed up with excitement. This was really happening.

They were on the ground.

He needed to get in contact with the Ark to let them know they were all fine. The Earth was survivable again, and he couldn't wait to tell his brother about it.  
"Malik Ishtar, right?", he heard a voice call his name and snapped out of his thoughts.  
There was a brown haired male standing next to him. The teen was about the same age as Malik, taller and paler. He looked grim as he walked up to Malik, and for some reason Malik felt like he recognized the other teen from somewhere.

"Yes?", Malik was puzzled. Why was he not as ecstatic as the others?  
"The communication system is down", the brunette teen said, "I went to the roof and a dozen panels are missing, the heat fried the wires"  
Malik sighed, his previous giddiness fading into an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. This was just getting more and more difficult, wasn't it?

"Why are you telling me this?", he asked then.  
It wasn't like he could do anything about it. He'd been trained to be a guard, not a mechanic, before he was locked up.  
"It seemed to me that you're the only one who takes this situation seriously", the male said, looking around at the others running about like maniacs, "I thought it'd be best to tell you, seeing as you are after all more qualified for leading a large mass of people than most of the others here"

It took Malik a moment to realize the teen was referring to him being the head of security's brother and thus properly trained for combat.  
"It seems that is not our first problem", he said, "We're on the wrong damn mountain"  
"We are somewhere around here, are we not?", the male asked and pointed at the area Malik suspected they had landed in.  
"Yeah, and we need to cross this forest in order to get to Mt. Weather", he said, pointing at the mountain they had been supposed to land on.  
"We need to get to Mt. Weather for the supplies", Malik continued to explain, looking at the teen in order to get affirmation to his plan, "There's food and guns and other supplies that'll make it easier for us to survive. If we don't get going, everyone is going to get hungry soon and this is going to be all the more difficult"

"I wonder if they have any medical supplies in there", the other teen said, "it would be a great help in the future"  
At that moment Malik realized who the other one was. Seto Kaiba was the son of the head of Medics. He chose not to say anything though, because he was aware he should've recognized the male from the very beginning of their conversation.  
"I hope so", he answered and looked at Ryo, who was looking between the two of them with a worried frown. Malik wondered how the hell this had become his life.  
He was on Earth, stranded on a wrong mountain with a hundred other people, two of whom happened to be the sons of Council members. It was absurd, to say the least.

"Oh, cool", there was another voice and both him and Seto looked up.  
A boy, roughly their age, was standing behind them, studying the map Malik and Kaiba had been looking at just moments ago.

The teen had blond, messy hair. He was shorter than Seto, but taller than Malik or Ryo, and he had a mischievous glint to his brown eyes.  
"Where did ya get a map?", he asked, lazily leaning against the drop-ship.  
"And you are?", Seto asked, looking a little annoyed at the interruption.  
"Jounouchi Katsuya", he said with a wide smile and Malik was at loss. What did the boy want from them?

"I just had to come and see for myself if it really was the three of you", Jounouchi explained, apparently seeing the confusion on Malik's face, "this is too precious to pass up. How come two out of six Council members managed to raise their kids to be criminals, and not only that but the head of security's brother too?"  
Malik felt his temper flare for a moment, but Seto beat him to it, "If all you wanted to do was annoy us then I suggest you leave. We have more important things to worry about" Jounouchi shook his head, "Ah, didn't mean it like that. What're ya doing with that map anyway?"

"Just trying to figure out where we are exactly", Ryo said. Jounouchi nodded and scratched his chin as he took a closer look at the map. Malik rolled his eyes, the other blond didn't look like he had ever even seen a map in his life.  
"We're on the ground. That not enough for you?", again a new voice butted in. Malik closed his eyes, he didn't have time for these idiots. Turning to look at the newcomer, Malik was about to snarl a response at him, but stopped when he saw the man.

He looked like Ryo.

He looked _exactly_ like Ryo, only older by a few years. They had the same white hair, smooth pale skin, even the same brown eyes. The only thing different about them was that this older version of Ryo looked much more… _sinister_ , Malik guessed was the word for it. Maybe it was the cocky smirk or the confident air around him, but his presence was much more prominent than Ryo's.  
"Who are you?", Ryo's voice asked after a moment of stunned silence. The older male cackled at him – actually _cackled_ , who even does that? – and said, "You hurt my feelings. Don't recognize your own brother, do you?"

Malik's jaw dropped the slightest bit. It shouldn't really be all that surprising, seeing how they looked like identical twins, but still it was. He looked back at Ryo, who looked flustered more so than shocked.  
"You see, my father got my mother knocked up and then left her", the man shrugged and leaned on the drop-ship's outer wall, "A few years after that he got your mother knocked up too. If he was still alive, I'd say he'd be proud to be the father of two criminals"

Ryo didn't answer, but then again he probably didn't know what to say to a person who just claimed to be his brother. Malik looked at Kaiba, but the tall teen was busy studying the map again, having gotten bored with the dramatics. Jounouchi shifted uncomfortably next to him, looking just as clueless as to what to do as Malik felt.  
"Well then", he said after a pressing silence, smirking at them, "It's been a good chat, but I'm going now"

"W-wait", Ryo called out hastily, "What's your name?"  
"Just call me Bakura", the other white haired male said, not bothering to turn and look at them. Malik grit his teeth. First this asshole comes to talk to them, and then the next moment he's acting like they're beneath his notice.

"Hey, were you trying to take this off?", Kaiba asked suddenly. They all turned to look at what he was talking about and saw him pointing at the wristband on Jounouchi's wrist. The skin around the band looked slightly red, as if he'd been pulling at it. Malik's attention turned to the wristbands for the first time now and he took a closer look at the one he was wearing on his left wrist. It wasn't anything spectacular, really. Just a metal band. That happened to be transmitting their vital signs all the way to space.

"Yeah, so?", Jounouchi asked, sending a hateful look towards the band around his wrist, "it's too tight"  
"It sends your vital signals to the Ark", Kaiba said exasperatedly, "If you take it off they'll think you're dead"  
"Should I care?", the blond asked, making both Kaiba and Malik huff out an annoyed breath. Kaiba looked at Malik and then turned away from them.

"Geez, I don't know. Do you want the people you love to think you're dead, or do you want them to follow you to the ground in a few months?", Malik asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow, "They won't come down here if they think we're dying"  
"Fine, fine, I'll keep it on then", Jounouchi said with a sigh, "But they could've made it a little more comfortable"

They all chose to ignore that last comment and turned back to the map.  
"I don't think it's wise to make everyone walk there", Kaiba said, "We would be too visible, not to mention loud. Easy targets so to say"  
Malik nodded. They couldn't all go that was for sure, if only because he was afraid someone might run off on their own.  
"How about we gather a small group of volunteers to go with us?", he suggested, "We walk there, gather up enough food and supplies and come back here"

"I volunteer for that", Jounouchi said, eager to get to see more of the new world they were in now. Malik didn't really know if he wanted the blond to come with them, but he wouldn't turn down any help he'd be able to get. Glancing at Bakura, who was still hovering close by, Malik frowned as he saw the white haired male examining his wristband with an unreadable expression. He wouldn't be helping them any time soon, it seemed.  
"That sounds reasonable", Seto agreed, pulling Malik's thoughts back to the current situation, "We just need to find people who won't slow us down"

Malik looked around. No one else seemed to be paying attention to them.  
"Okay…", he sighed, "I guess we'll just walk around and gather up some people who're willing to go"  
Why was he even doing this? It's not like anyone else was worrying about food or supplies, blindly trusting someone else to do all the work. Maybe he should just do the same and eventually _someone_ would have to do something. But then again, he wouldn't be able to have any peace of mind if he just kept sitting around and waiting for something to happen.

Malik looked around the clearing again, this time more attentive. He was searching for potential volunteers. Malik's eyes landed on a small teen, maybe a year or two younger than him. The black haired teen looked easy enough to intimidate into going with them.  
"Jounouchi, go get that boy", he said, pointing at the kid, "He's coming with us"  
Jounouchi nodded and jogged over to the smaller teen. Malik shifted his attention to the other people.

He saw a brown haired girl, sitting down and leaning back against a tree. She was talking to a boy with short, brown hair and another girl with long, wavy blond hair.  
They seemed approachable enough. Malik pointed them out to Kaiba, who waved his hand as if to say 'do whatever you want'. Malik walked up to them, thinking about what the hell he was going to say. Just asking them to come with him felt weird, and would probably make him look like some kind of a creep. The brunette girl noticed him approaching them and smiled at him hesitantly.

"Hey", Malik said. He stopped right next to the little group, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He wasn't good with people, and had no idea what to say.  
They all looked at him, curiously, waiting for him to say something more. Malik lifted one hand to rub at the back of his neck while he crouched down to their level and finally said, "So, uh, me and few others are going to Mt. Weather and… well, I was wondering if you guys could help us out, maybe?"

The brown haired girl blinked.  
"I thought we were on Mt. Weather", she said, looking at her friends, "That's what the Chancellor said, isn't it?"  
Malik nodded, trying not to roll his eyes. Figures no one else would've even noticed.  
"That's Mt. Weather", he said, pointing at the peak he'd pointed out to Ryo earlier, "So, yeah, we don't have any food except for the canned stuff they packed for us to last a few days"

"Why are you asking us to go?", the only male of the group asked. He looked somewhat doubtful of Malik. The blond teen shrugged and looked around before answering, "Well, to tell the truth, you were the only ones who seemed like you'd help us. I mean, the others are too busy to even listen to what I have to say"  
"It can't hurt, right?", the brunette girl looked at her friends, "If he's telling the truth, someone has to go there anyway, so why not us?"  
The blonde one nodded, she didn't look too enthusiastic, but Malik didn't really care about that. As long as she was going, he was willing to put up with any future nagging.

It took a few more persuasive words to get the third one on board, but eventually he agreed. They introduced themselves as Anzu, Tristan and Mai.  
Malik led them to the others, and noticed Jounouchi had either persuaded or threatened the black haired kid to come along too.

So, in the end they had seven people gathered up.  
Anzu turned out to be a medical expert as well, while Mai was more knowledgeable in farming. Tristan had worked on electronics when they were still on the Ark and Yugi – the small black haired kid – turned out to be an excellent tracker.

They'd left shortly after Malik and Kaiba had come to the conclusion that Ryo should stay behind and keep an eye on the rest of the delinquents. It just wouldn't do if the rest of the 100 kept wandering off, since most of them had no idea how to survive. They didn't know how to hunt or build a fire, so it would be safer to stay together.

They hiked down, into the forest. Malik had the map on him, because even though Yugi was a tracker, he probably didn't know how to read a map. It wasn't like Malik really trusted him either. He looked at the others, rolling his eyes at the way Jounouchi kept pestering Mai. Malik wondered if punching the blond boy would shut him up for a moment, but on a second thought he decided it would only make Jounouchi even louder.

When he saw Yugi pick up a flower and give it to Anzu, Malik briefly thought it would've been better to just go alone. He did not understand why he brought all these people with him.  
"Now that, my friend, is game", Tristan's voice said from somewhere behind him.  
"That is poison sumac", Kaiba's voice answered and Malik couldn't help but let out a laugh. He sounded just about as annoyed as Malik felt. Anzu squealed and dropped the flower before Kaiba could continue, "Though, the flower in itself isn't poisonous"  
She glared at the tall teen and then at Malik, who was now smirking at them.

"What did you even do to get locked up?", Jounouchi asked, glancing at Malik and Kaiba with an curious expression. Malik looked back at him and sighed, he had hoped to avoid this conversation. Kaiba didn't look any more eager to talk about this particular subject, so the two of them stayed quiet and let the others speak.

"Apparently smuggling parts and trying to build a robot is a crime", Tristan said, looking at Mai, who grinned guiltily.  
"I didn't know it would be considered stealing if we took parts that no one is going to use anyway", she said in her defense, "Besides, we apologized like a thousand times"  
"I assaulted a guard", Anzu confessed with a heavy sigh, "they were taking my father to get floated for a crime he committed and I tried to stop them"  
Yugi touched her hand with a sad smile, "Well, at least you had a reason to do it. I accidentally damaged the last tree on the Ark"

He shook his head, "Grandpa was furious when he found out they arrested me for it"  
Malik winced. He hated the policy they used on the Ark. Every crime is considered a capital crime, and so every crime is punishable by death.  
"What did you do?", Tristan asked, looking back at Jounouchi.  
The blond boy grinned, like he had been waiting for the question and said, "I went on a spacewalk"

Tristan looked like his eyes might just pop out of his head with the way he was staring at Jounouchi. Malik stopped, frowning.  
"Wait, you're the one who wasted a month's worth of oxygen on the Ark", he realized. He had heard his brother talking about it with a guard a few months before he had been arrested too. Jounouchi shrugged, making Malik bristle. It was like he didn't care at all.

"Do you even realize what you did?", he asked, "They sent us down here because they don't have enough time anymore. The Ark is dying, you idiot"  
The revelation was followed by a stunned silence and it took Malik a while to realize what he'd just said. The one thing he wasn't supposed to tell anyone.  
"Let's just go", he sighed. Turning around, Malik heard the rest of them follow him silently.

Eventually the silence was broken by Mai's delighted squeal and a breathy, "Look!"  
Malik turned to look at what she was pointing at, curious. There was a river ahead of them. Malik felt himself break into a smile as they all hurried towards the glistening water, each of them enchanted by the beauty of it.  
The irritation from their previous conversation melted away quickly as Malik stepped out of his shoes and felt the cool water touch his feet. This world was nothing like the one up on the Ark. This was so much better.

* * *

Meanwhile things on the Ark were much more hectic.  
They had lost all contact with the hundred prisoners they had sent to Earth, and they knew nothing of what was going on with them. The only thing they had for now was that the young prisoners were not dead. The wristbands given to every one of the prisoners sent out their vital signs to the Ark's scientific wing, where Dr. Kaiba and the Chancellor were currently monitoring them.  
"What do you think?", the Chancellor asked, eyes flitting over the pictures on the screen. There was a picture of each prisoner, with their information below it.  
"I do not believe there is anything wrong for now", Dr. Kaiba said, eyes locked on the picture of his son.

"Why am I seeing so much red up there then?", the Chancellor asked, frowning at the red lines framing each of the prisoners' pictures.  
"Those are spiking vital signs, Chancellor. There are two options", Dr. Kaiba explained, "one, they are suffering from injuries sustained during landing"  
"And the other?", the pale man finally looked at the doctor next to him, hopeful.  
"They are excited to be there", was the answer he received.

And they could only hope it was the latter of the two.

* * *

 **A/N:** There you go, please rate and leave a review, it'd be much appreciated :) I know Kaiba is kinda ooc and idk about the other characters, but honestly, this is the first time I've tried writing most of these characters at all, so I'm hoping it's not too bad xD I'll try to update as soon as possible, thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Welcome to chapter 3! I've finally kind of decided what I want to do with this story lol, so we'll see how it turns out :) The main pairing in this is still Malik/Bakura, but this story will also concentrate more on Tristan/Otogi and eventually on Marik/Ryo.

I don't remember if I mentioned this already, but when they talk about "floating" someone, it basically means executing someone on the Ark.

* * *

Malik kneeled down to the river bend, cupping the cool water in his hands and splashing it onto his face. He laughed out loud at the feeling of fresh water on his skin, marveling at the sight of the river running in front of him. The rest of them – except for Kaiba, unsurprisingly – were already pulling off their shirts and running into to river, staying in the area in which the water was shallow enough for them to stand in. Malik entertained the idea of going in himself, but eventually decided to sit down and just enjoy the sun on his skin and the water lapping at his feet. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes and smiled contently.

Eventually Kaiba ordered them to get dressed again though, because they needed to keep moving if they wanted to make it to Mount Weather by nightfall. He didn't say it, but Malik knew he didn't feel comfortable staying in one place for too long on unknown ground either.  
"C'mon, let's go", Malik said, already heading off in the right direction with Kaiba, while the others hurriedly pulled on their clothes and scurried after them, still laughing among each other.

They followed the river for another half an hour, before Malik stopped and examined the map for a while. He then turned to Kaiba, "We need to cross the river here, right?"

Kaiba took a look at the map and nodded in agreement, "Yeah"  
Malik pondered on their options. They couldn't just cross the river by swimming, since none of them knew how to swim, so they would have to look for another way. He looked around, trying to come up with a way to get there, when his gaze landed on something that might be able to get them to the other side.

The ground on the other side of the river was slightly lower and the trees grew their branches over the river in a way that would make it easy for them to just swing over the water if they had some kind of a rope to tie up to the branches.  
"We need a rope", he said, still eyeing the trees on the river bend. Kaiba looked at him funnily, but then apparently realized what he had come up with because his expression turned into an exasperated one.

"Why?", Mai asked.  
"So we can cross the river", Kaiba said before Malik could elaborate further. He didn't seem to like the idea. Jounouchi, instead, seemed to love the idea. His eyes lit up as Malik explained the plan. Yugi eyed the branches warily, but shrugged his bag off his shoulders and dug around for something.

"I took some rope from the camp", he said, "just in case we might need it"  
Malik was starting to appreciate the thoughtfulness of this kid. It hadn't even crossed his mind they might need something like this. Jounouchi grabbed the thick rope out of Yugi's hands and went to work. As Malik watched him climb up and start tying the rope around the branch, Malik prayed it was long enough to get them to the other side of the river. If it wasn't, they'd most probably splash into the water, which did not sound very pleasant to him.

When Jounouchi was done a few minutes later, he hopped down and pulled on the rope, adding more and more of his weight on it until it was successfully supporting him all the way. Kaiba was starting to get impatient, snapping at Jounouchi to just go. Jounouchi tested it once more, looking a little nervous as he glanced at the river.  
"You wanted to go first, mutt", Kaiba said from his spot away from the river bend, "Now, quit stalling"

"See ya on the other side then", Jounouchi laughed. Malik looked at the others, smirking to himself. If Mai and Anzu were looking anxious, then Yugi looked like he was about to faint any moment now. Poor boy probably wasn't used to much excitement in his life. Tristan, on the other hand, looked like he was itching to get his hands on the rope. Jounouchi sucked in a deep breath and looked significantly paler than just a moment ago. He licked his lips in nervousness. Malik was trying to come up with something to say to ease the other teen's nerves, when Jounouchi let out a yell – which in all honesty sounded more like a battle cry – and jumped.

He clung to the rope like a lifeline, but once he was on the other side, he let go. Malik had to take a moment to appreciate how utterly ridiculous the blond boy looked for a while, limbs flailing in every direction in the air and terrified screaming emitting from his mouth. Malik was impressed Jounouchi even let go though, he had half expected to see the man come swinging back. Tristan, Mai, Anzu and Yugi whooped, startling Malik out of his thoughts.

"Yeah!", Tristan yelled, fist-bumping the air.  
"Good job, Jou!", Anzu yelled at the boy on the other side of the river. Jounouchi, on his part, was wearing the smuggest grin Malik had seen in a while. Tristan had a hold of the rope, but despite his previous enthusiasm, he now looked almost sick.

They had quieted down enough for Malik to hear his own thoughts again, but what made him startle was the barely audible noise of rustling leaves behind him. As if something – possibly an animal – was stepping on dried leaves and branches. Turning around, Malik saw a figure at the edge of the forest.

It was no animal. No, Malik's blood turned to ice as he stared at the man standing at the edge of the forest. His skin was the color of bronze, much like Malik's, but his hair was black and spiked in every direction – like Yugi's. He was wearing no shirt, only pants and golden bands around his muscular arms and neck, the man's face was covered in dirt and his eyes were lined with something black, which Malik guessed to be kohl. In his hand, he held a spear.

The man stared Malik in the eye for what felt like an eternity, both of them frozen on the spot. Finally, Malik came back to his senses and opened his mouth to scream, to tell the others to hide. The grounder must've realized Malik's intention, because he raised the hand in which he held his spear and his gaze focused somewhere behind Malik. He took a powerful step, and threw the spear. Malik suddenly understood what he was aiming at.

"Jounouchi, duck!", Malik screamed, turning around just in time to see the spear strike through Jounouchi's chest. He felt his knees hit the ground, his legs suddenly weak. Mai screamed as Jounouchi slumped to the ground with a pained sound leaving his mouth. Malik was frozen in place for a moment, just staring at the spear now pointing up from Jounouchi's chest, until Tristan appeared in front of him and told him to get up.

Kaiba was already crouched down behind a rock, his back now facing the river and the rest of them joined him, looking around frantically. Malik glanced back at Jounouchi, who was laying still on the ground. He couldn't see if the male was still breathing, but with a spear in his chest it was highly unlikely he was still alive.

"We're not alone", he said breathlessly, his voice a pitch higher than usually, "I saw the man who threw it"  
"How's that possible?", Yugi all but squealed, eyes flashing in panic, "There isn't supposed to be other humans on Earth"

"We haven't had any data on nearly anything on Earth in over 400 years", Kaiba said, and Malik didn't understand how the other male could sound so calm and collected in a situation like this. Malik scanned the area for other possible threats, his gaze bouncing around in a nearly panicked haze.

"We should go", Anzu said, looking ready to dash off at any second.  
"But what if it tries to get us too?", Mai asked, instead looking like she might stay there for a long, long time still. Malik agreed with Anzu though, because if they moved there was a chance they'd make it into the woods and the one who'd thrown the spear might lose them. Instead, if they stayed here, they were more easily targeted. Not to mention the man had an insanely good aim, from what Malik had seen. They'd be like sitting ducks here.

He said as much and earned an approving nod from Kaiba and Tristan. Mai still looked like she didn't want to leave their momentarily safe-haven, but after a bit of convincing she agreed to the plan too.  
"On three, we run for the forest as fast as we can", Malik said, looking around at the others to assure himself they all knew what to do.

"One", he said quietly and they all got ready to jump out from behind the rock.  
"Two", Malik breathed in, trying to steady his heartbeat, "Three!"  
A mad dash was made for the forest.

Yugi made it there first, being surprisingly quick on his feet. Malik waited for the others at the edge of the forest and once they all had made it, he ran after them. The six of them ran and scrambled through the forest, blocking trees and jumping over roots, until none of them could run anymore.

Malik's throat burned as he tried to get some air into his lungs and there was a sharp pain in his side. The others didn't look better off.  
"We should keep moving", Kaiba wheezed out after a while of catching his breath, but he didn't look like he could keep going just yet. Malik certainly didn't feel like he could move for a while, now that the adrenalin in his body was beginning to wear off.  
"I can't", Mai said, slumping down to sit with her back against a tree, "I feel like I can't breathe"

Malik crouched down on the ground, trying to get some air into his lungs. He was trembling, his mind trying to make sense of what he had seen. Why had the grounder not thrown the spear at him, even though he had clearly seen Malik watching him?  
"We're so screwed", he whispered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

A scream echoed through the silent forest.

"Jounouchi!", Mai exclaimed, jumping up from her spot on the ground, "He's still alive"  
Malik looked in the direction where they'd come from, puzzled. It was indeed Jounouchi's voice he'd heard, but there was no way the teen would be alive after that. Right? Before he could dwell on it more, Mai was already running back.  
"Wait! Wait, stop!", Malik yelled after her, but she did not listen. Groaning, Malik thought he must be suicidal for doing this, and followed after the girl.

They got to the river again, but didn't go out of the woods. They hovered on the edge, looking for any signs of the grounder from before, but didn't see any movement. Then, Malik's gaze landed on the spot where he had last seen Jounouchi. Only, he wasn't there. Malik looked around again, but didn't see any sign of the blond teen.  
"Wh- where is he?", Anzu's voice asked behind him, "He was right there"

"They must've taken him", Kaiba said and for the first time Malik saw him looking confused. Like he wasn't sure what was happening. It didn't suit him, Malik decided, Kaiba always looked like he was in control. He looked back at the river bend and it was still very lacking of any Jounouchis lying around.

* * *

 _The Ark_

The first thing Rishid saw when he walked into the room was the Chancellor staring at the monitors with the information of the 100. He, too, glanced over the monitors and noticed several black tiles that had not been there several hours ago. His eyes searched for his brother's picture. An immense relief flooded him when he found it.  
"We send them there to die", the Chancellor sighed in despair, "We've already lost twenty-three kids throughout the day"  
"There must be some explanation for this", Dr. Kaiba said, frowning, "It doesn't look like radiation is killing them, at least. One moment fine and the next dead isn't how radiation works"

"It does if there's enough of it", the Chancellor countered, making Dr. Kaiba glare at him.

"If there was enough of it, they'd _all_ be dead", he said sternly, irritated with the Chancellor's lack of confidence. Rishid cleared his throat.  
"Mr. Chancellor", he said with a small bow, "The people are getting suspicious. They've been asking questions about how they saw the drop-ship being launched"  
"Let the Council worry about the people", Dr. Kaiba said, "We need to be focused on reestablishing communication with those kids"  
"They could all be dead by nightfall", the Chancellor said, looking back at the monitors, "This is exactly what we expected to see. There is no time for false hope, doctor"  
Dr. Kaiba bristled, "They are not necessarily dead. There must be another explanation, I just haven't figured it out yet. They could be perfectly fine, for all we know"

Rishid listened on, eyes locked on the picture of his younger brother. He certainly wanted to believe in what Dr. Kaiba said, but it was difficult. The monitors said twenty-three kids were dead, and they hadn't been on the ground for even one day.

* * *

 _The Camp_

Ryo looked around the camp they'd set up. So far no one had tried to wander off on their own, but a whole new problem – one that Ryo had not anticipated – was giving him a headache. This problem was named Bakura.

The very moment Malik and the others had set foot out of camp, Bakura had started going around, convincing people to take off their wristbands. He was excellent at choosing his targets though, Ryo must admit. He picked out the kids who were most likely to be persuaded and convinced by a few well-chosen words and seemed to be able to capture their interest at once. Ryo had managed to convince a few of them to keep on their wristbands by reminding them of the people they loved and how they'd be coming down to Earth in a few months if they thought it was safe.

Most of them had sneered at Ryo, telling him they didn't have anyone up there who they wanted to see anymore. They were so angry at everything it wasn't very surprising Bakura had persuaded them into taking off the wristbands. Ryo startled at the sound of a girl screaming and looked up to see two boys holding her down while another girl was forcefully prying off her wristband. Bakura was lazily leaning against a tree nearby, smirking at the scene.

Ryo marched up to him, "Make them stop! She doesn't want to take it off"  
Bakura looked at him with an amused expression, "They can do whatever the hell they want. Why should they listen to me?"  
Ryo stared at the older male, perplexed by his behavior. What was the point in doing all of this? Surely he wasn't doing it just for fun.  
"Is this what you really want?", Ryo asked, pointing at the struggling girl and the three other people, "Chaos?"

Bakura shrugged, "What's wrong with a little chaos?"  
Ryo stared at him, blinking in surprise. He shook his head, turning away from the man. No matter how much they looked alike, there was no way in hell they were in any way related. Ryo refused to believe he was related to someone like this. With one more look at the girl who was now sitting up and holding her wrist, Ryo walked away from the scene. It wasn't like Bakura was going to change his mind anytime soon.

His footsteps halted though, as he saw Malik running down the hill towards the camp with the others not far behind. Ryo sighed in relief, he was hoping Malik would be able to talk some sense into the other prisoners.

"Ryo!", Malik panted out as soon as he was within hearing distance.  
"Hey", Ryo went up to meet the group. He heard Bakura following him, much to his surprise. He briefly wondered what his brother wanted.  
"Where's the food?", Bakura asked as he reached the group. Ryo rolled his eyes, of course he would only care about the food.

Then he took a proper look at the others and realized that Bakura hadn't asked that in order to get food, but because they were not carrying any food with them. They were also missing a person.  
"Where's Jounouchi-san?", he asked.  
"We didn't make it to Mt. Weather", Kaiba said, "We were attacked"  
Ryo frowned, not understanding what the older teen was talking about. He looked at Malik for further explanation, but the one who spoke was Anzu, "Turns out, the last man from the Earth who died on the Ark wasn't actually the last grounder"

"The good news is that now we know the radiation won't kill us", Yugi said, splaying himself on the ground, looking exhausted.  
"Yeah", Malik said, "The bad news is the grounders will"  
"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine", Bakura commented, making Malik glare at him though the effect was somewhat ruined by him looking ready to collapse at any given moment. More people had gathered around them to listen, hushed whispers reaching their ears. Some of them were looking skeptical, as if thinking this was a joke. "Jounouchi was taken by one of the grounders", Mai said then, looking around, "We need to go get him back"

No one had time to answer her before Malik stepped closer to Bakura and asked, "Where's your wristband?"  
"Who knows?", Bakura smirked at him, "I suppose it's somewhere in the forest, where I threw it"

Malik pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. He exhaled and then looked back to Bakura, "How many?"  
"Twenty-four and counting", a young male said, stepping next to Bakura. He looked so smug Malik almost wanted to punch him. Only almost though, because he also happened to be twirling a knife in his hand. Malik pursed his lips, and the next time he spoke, he addressed the whole crowd, "The life support on the Ark is failing. If you take off the wristbands, you're killing everyone up on the Ark, because they need to know we're fine before they can come down here. By taking off your wristbands, you're not only killing them, either, you're killing _us_ too. We need their help to survive"

Bakura sneered at him, stepping up as he said, "Don't listen to this princess. When the Ark comes down he'll have it good, but how many of you can say that? He's privileged like that. Do you really think the Ark will forgive our crimes? That wristband on your arm made you a prisoner, but we're not prisoners anymore, so why keep it? We can take care of ourselves" The crowd chorused him with a cheers and noises of agreement, which made Bakura cackle once more. He shot one last self-satisfied look at Malik before swaggering off with a few people following after him.

Malik stared at his retreating back, fighting the urge to kick the teen's ass. He wondered if there was some radiation in the air after all and one of the symptoms was an increased urge to punch everything in sight.  
"He's been bragging about having a gun with him", Ryo said, "I don't know where he got it, but he's dangerous. I have no idea what to do about him"  
Malik groaned. He was not willing to think about Bakura anymore.

"So, what do we do now?", Ryo asked after a short silence between them.  
"We go rescue Jounouchi", Malik sighed. The beginning of a headache was pounding at the back of his skull again, but he ignored it and turned to the drop-ship, "Search for anything that might come in handy, okay?"  
Mai and Anzu searched inside the drop-ship, while Yugi, Tristan and Malik looked around outside for anything that might be useful. Kaiba didn't bother helping them.  
"They really didn't leave us with much", Anzu commented once the two girls stepped out again, "We found another rope and a knife, but nothing else"  
"Yeah, we didn't find anything", Yugi said. He handed his bag to Anzu, who put the rope and the knife in it. They were preparing to leave, when Malik said, "Hold up. Mai, Tristan, you're not going with us"

"Like hell we're not", Mai exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air, "What makes you think we should listen to what you tell us to do?"  
"You could be the only who were working on farming and electronics back home", Malik reasoned, "That means food and communication for us. We need Mai here, so if something happens to us, the others won't starve to death and Tristan needs to focus on contacting the Ark"

Both Mai and Tristan spluttered at him, but couldn't come up with a convincing argument to let them go too. They turned to look at Yugi.  
"I'm sorry guys, but he has a point", Yugi said apologetically, "I think you should stay"  
Mai looked devastated, while Tristan looked more like he wanted to punch something. Malik knew the look because that was exactly how he'd been feeling pretty much ever since they landed. Patting Mai on the shoulder in a half-assed attempt to comfort her, Malik turned to look at Kaiba, "You coming?"

Kaiba cocked an eyebrow at him, "Unfortunately for you, I am not suicidal. He's probably already dead anyway"  
Malik rolled his eyes. Well, it's not like he had expected Kaiba to come with them anyway. Turning back to Anzu and Yugi, he smirked, "I know just the person to come along"

Looking around, Malik spotted Bakura by a campfire on the other side of the clearing. He marched up to the white haired man, determined to make Bakura listen to him.  
"I heard you have a gun", he said. Bakura raised an eyebrow, but then moved the hem of his jacket to reveal a gun sticking out of his pocket. Malik nodded.  
"Good, follow me", he said and started heading off.  
"Why should I do that?", Bakura asked, sounding slightly annoyed at Malik ordering him around. Malik turned back to look at him, a mockingly surprised expression on his face. He stepped closer to Bakura, his expression melting into a smug one.

"Well, you want these people to follow you, right?", he asked, "And right now they're thinking only one of us is scared. I'm not forcing you to do anything though"  
Bakura grit his teeth and glared daggers at the blond teen in front of him. Eventually though, he turned to the people behind him and said, "Keith, come with me"

A huge teen emerged from the group. Malik suppressed a shiver, this Keith person didn't look like a very nice fellow. They finally left camp once again, Malik in the lead, while Bakura and Keith stayed behind them. Yugi and Anzu stayed close to Malik.  
"What're you thinking?", Anzu asked quietly, "They are not just some bullies, these two are actually dangerous criminals, Malik"  
"Yeah, I'm counting on it", Malik whispered back, "If we get attacked, Bakura and his buddy there won't hesitate to harm anyone"

Meanwhile, Bakura was observing the group of three in front of him. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but judging from the way the short, spiky-haired kid was glancing at him warily, they were talking about him.  
"Since when are we in the rescue business, huh?", Keith asked, obviously miffed at having been dragged along. Bakura rolled his eyes at him.

"There are three important people down here", he said, "Seto Kaiba, his father is the head of Medics and a Council member. Ryo Bakura's mother is a Council member too. And the third one is Malik Ishtar, whose brother is the head of security"  
"So?", Keith asked.  
"So, if they think these three people are dead, they'll never come down here", Bakura said impatiently, "I am getting that wristband off of him even if I have to cut off his arm"

* * *

 _The Ark_

"Guys, did anyone else notice there's no damage to B dock?"

A young male, no older than eighteen, walked into the break room for the engineers and mechanics of the Ark. He was tall and lithe, his long, coal black hair was tied up in a stylishly messy ponytail and his emerald green eyes sparkled with curiosity.  
"B dock's restricted, Otogi. You should know that", one of the older engineers said with a frown on his face. The young male, Otogi Ryuuji, waved his hand dismissively.  
"What, they gonna float me for looking?", he asked, amusement seeping into his voice, "C'mon, an Exodus ship was launched not even a day ago, and you're not even curious?"

"It wasn't launched. According to engineering, a routine maintenance accident forced them to eject", another man said, not looking up from his chess game. Ryuuji frowned.  
"Well, that's a lie", he mumbled, loud enough for the others to hear, "A maintenance accident that didn't cause any damage? That's just stupid. Why would they build a drop-ship in the first place?"  
Some of the others looked uncomfortable with the topic, like they knew something Ryuuji did not. He leaned on the wall, observing the other people in the room. When no one answered him though, he eventually got bored and turned to leave.

"It's prison visiting day today, right?", a middle-aged woman asked him. Ryuuji smiled excitedly and nodded, it was indeed. He couldn't wait to go and tell Tristan about the weird drop-ship launch he'd seen.  
"Tell lover-boy I said hi, would you?", she said, also smiling. Her smile turned into a laugh at the shocked expression Ryuuji made at her choice of words.  
"Stop calling him that", he said, embarrassed, "It's not even like we're dating or anything"

"Sure", she winked at him, "Just go already, I can practically see the waves of impatience emitting from you"  
Ryuuji rolled his eyes, but turned to go. He made his way to the prison wing, where he was met with a familiar sight of guards before the entrance. There was something wrong though, Ryuuji noted with a worried scowl. No one was going in, the guards were saying something and keeping them away from the doors.

Pushing his way through the small crowd, Ryuuji heard a guard say, "The lockup's been quarantined. There will be no visitation for at least two months. For further information, contact Dr. Kaiba or the head of security"  
A gnawing feeling settled in his stomach and Ryuuji turned away to go find someone who could explain what was going on. He searched the Ark for hours, before by some stroke of luck running into the man who he recognized as the head of security.  
"Excuse me, sir", he said. The man turned to look at him, and Ryuuji couldn't help but think he was intimidating. He shifted his weight restlessly and asked, "What's going on with the lockup? It's supposed to be visiting day"

"There's some kind of a virus going around", the tall man said, "We need to keep lockup in quarantine for a few months, at least"  
Ryuuji frowned again, "But the airways are open. If there really was a virus, wouldn't you close the airways?"  
The man looked startled for a moment, staring at Ryuuji in silence, but then his expression smoothed over once again and he said, "The virus isn't airborne"

"That's bullshit", Ryuuji snapped. He'd had enough of all these people lying to him. If there was something going on, why couldn't they just tell the truth when people asked about it? If something had happened to Tristan, he wanted to know about it.  
"The Council is definitely up to something, with the drop-ship and now this", he said, "And I'm going to find out what it is, so save your breath and stop lying to me"  
As he turned to leave, he half expected the man to arrest him for whatever he'd ever done. Maybe he should learn to watch what he says, sometimes.

Rishid didn't think about arresting the kid, though. He watched the young male walk away and smiled slightly. His attitude kind of reminded Rishid of Malik. This could become troublesome, though, if the people started getting more suspicious. Rishid closed his eyes and headed for the monitoring room where the Chancellor and Dr. Kaiba were sure to be.

They'd lost thirty-one kids so far.

* * *

 **A/N:** There ya go :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I think the next one will be ready some time next week.  
Thank you so much for the reviews, they totally made my day 3

Oh, before I forget to mention it, Dr. Kaiba is _not_ the asshole adoptive dad Kaiba had in the anime/manga. He is my own character. Also, I'm sorry if I ever call Rishid Malik's father by accident, because I can't stop thinking of him as a father figure to Malik tbh xD


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay! I am so so sorry this has taken so long, but I've had a crazy few months ." Also a minor writer's block so yeah... I probably won't update as often as I'd like to. But anyway, thanks for the comments :) and for **lilirose101:** I'm so glad you like it! :3 Actually I call all the characters by their Japanese names because I simply like them better than the English ones, but I call Tristan by his English name because I like it better than his Japanese name 0.o" it might seem a bit stupid but please bear with me! x)

* * *

The forest was quiet, save for an occasional chirp of a bird or rustle of a bush when the wind caught on the leaves. Malik glanced at Bakura, who was keeping a keen eye on their surroundings. A tense air surrounded them, caused by mutual distrust of each other. Yugi and Anzu had fallen behind, choosing to not partake in whatever silent war the two of them had going on, while Keith was blissfully ignorant to the hostility practically emitting from them, bored out of his mind.

Malik was furious. Bakura had been acting difficult ever since they first landed and what irritated the blond teen most was the fact that he didn't understand the motive behind Bakura's actions. The white haired male didn't seem like one to do things without a reason, but Malik couldn't think of any excuse for his behavior at all.  
"What's the rush anyway, huh?", Bakura finally broke the silence, stopping in his tracks, "People don't survive a spear through the heart. He's dead already anyway"

Malik turned to glare at him, but his eyes caught sight of the gun in Bakura's hand. He froze and stared at Bakura with wide eyes, trying to figure out what the man was about to do. Bakura cocked an eyebrow at him, as if daring him to say something.  
"Put the gun away, Bakura", Anzu's voice interrupted their staring contest. She marched up to them, "Jounouchi screamed when they moved him. If the spear had hit his heart, he would've died instantly"

"Doesn't mean we have time to waste", Malik said, sending a pointed look at Bakura and then at the gun he still held in his hand. Bakura chuckled.  
"Take off that wristband and we can go", he said. Malik touched the band around his wrist and then stepped closer to Bakura, trying his best to look confident, "The only way the Ark is going to think I'm dead is if I'm actually dead. Got it?"  
"Brave princess, aren't you?", Bakura smirked at him, but didn't make a move to either put away the gun or force Malik to take off the wristband. He just stood there, watching Malik. Malik suppressed the urge to fidget under his gaze and stared back.

"Stop flirting with each other. I thought we were on a tight schedule to find that mutt", a familiar, gruff voice startled Malik and he finally tore his eyes away from Bakura. Seto was stomping his way towards them, looking irritated out of his mind.  
"We?", Malik couldn't help but smile just the slightest bit, "I thought you weren't coming"

Seto looked at him flatly and said, "Your little friends wouldn't stop whining my ears off. Now, let's go. I don't have all day"  
Malik smirked at Bakura, who was glaring at the teen who had so inconveniently interrupted them. The blond tilted his head and said, "You heard him. Let's get going"  
They started walking again – some of them more reluctant than others. Seto walked next to Malik, looking like he wanted to say something.

"I've been thinking about it", Seto finally said, "Why did the grounder wait for Jounouchi to cross the river? It's not like we were being quiet and they didn't know we were there"

Malik shrugged. The grounder could've easily speared any of them. It didn't make any sense for him to throw the spear at Jounouchi, who had been the farthest away from him and the most difficult to target. Malik stopped abruptly, looking up at Seto with a frown on his face, "Maybe the river is a boundary"

Seto nodded, as if pondering on the possibility. It would make sense.  
Seto then sighed, "That means Mount Weather is off limits"

Malik scoffed and threw his hand up, "How are we supposed to get those supplies then? What are we gonna do for food?"  
Seto didn't answer him. He probably didn't have an answer that would appease Malik. They trekked their way towards the river in another, not any less tense silence. When Malik heard the sound of running water, he nearly yelped in relief. It felt like they'd been walking for hours (which, they probably had) and his legs were about to give out from all the exertion. They stumbled out of the forest - only to find themselves in the wrong place. The river had narrowed down to a small stream. Malik supposed they had headed too far south while he was busy keeping an eye on Bakura.

He groaned in frustration, crouching down and burying his head in his hands. They didn't have time to waste if they wanted to find Jounouchi while there was still a chance he was alive.

"Malik, look!", Anzu suddenly exclaimed and Malik looked up at her. She was pointing at something across the stream and when Malik followed her line of sight, he saw a torn piece of cloth. It looked much like a black t-shirt – or what had been a t-shirt – similar to the one Jounouchi had been wearing. He stood up again and jumped across the water to take a closer look at the cloth. It was caked in mud and blood, torn in several places, but Malik recognized it as one of the shirts people up on the Ark wore.

"This is probably Jounouchi's", he said, voice filled with relief. Yugi crouched down next to him and pointed at the footprints in the soft soil. It looked as though someone had been dragging something – or in this case, someone – heavy behind them. Bakura pulled out the gun in his pocket and started following the path, careful to step silently and stay low. Malik followed him, thinking how ironic it was that now the gun in Bakura's possession made him feel safer, when not an hour ago it had scared him.

None of them said a word as they made their way through the forest, following the footsteps. A pained moan startled Malik and made them stop in their tracks. Bakura raised the gun and looked around for the source of the sound.  
"What was that?", Anzu asked, her voice just above a whisper. Malik strained to hear it again, but the forest was once more quiet.

Another moan, and this time Malik realized where it came from.  
"Jounouchi!", he gasped out. They sprinted towards the sound, until they came across a clearing. The grass grew tall, reaching up to Malik's waist and in the middle of the clearing grew a lone tree. Malik could only stare with wide eyes. His mind drew blank as he saw Jounouchi hung high from the tree, his hands bound tight above his head, while his feet were barely touching the grass underneath. Malik heard Anzu gasp next to him. He couldn't move, nor did he know what to do.

"What the hell is this?", Bakura growled out after a while of staring, looking around quickly to ensure they were alone. Malik, having somewhat come out of his stupor, dashed off to help Jounouchi, but was stopped by Bakura's hand gripping his shoulder. Before the blond had a chance to snap at him, Bakura pointed at the ground, where various traps lay waiting for an unsuspecting animal to fall into them. The traps were covered with branches and leaves, scattered across the clearing. Malik let out a stuttering breath and looked at Bakura again, who was now navigating his way around the traps towards Jounouchi.

He'd probably just saved Malik's life.

The rest of them followed Bakura, stepping where he stepped and keeping on guard for any surprise attacks from both, grounders and wild animals. Bakura once again put away his gun when they stood next to the tree, "Keith, cut him down"  
Keith climbed up, grumbling and complaining all the way, and Anzu followed behind in case he needed assistance with getting Jounouchi down. Malik fidgeted, anxious to get the boy down and go back to their camp. They were in grounder territory and it was possible they'd come back any moment now.

"Why have they healed Jounouchi's wounds?", Seto suddenly asked, staring intently at Jounouchi's chest. Malik turned to look as well.

He hadn't noticed before, but Seto was right. The wound was sewn shut, with medicine – something that Malik didn't recognize – spread all over it.  
"Why would they save his life just to string him up as live bait?", Malik asked, frowning at the sight in front of him. Keith was struggling with reaching Jounouchi, he couldn't cut the boy down safely. Anzu was trying to help, but honestly to Malik it looked like she was more in the way than of any assistance. It was taking way too long.

"Maybe whatever they're trying to catch likes its' dinner to be breathing", Bakura shrugged. He didn't look too concerned, though Malik could tell he was getting impatient. Malik resisted rolling his eyes at the other teen and looked around the clearing again. A sudden movement to their left made Malik jump back. He turned to look, but didn't see anything. His gaze bounced around, trying to find something out of ordinary, when a soft growl reached his ears and his breath quickened, "There's something in there"

Bakura turned to look as well, just as a figure bounced at them, having previously hid itself in the tall grass.

"Bakura, gun!", Malik screamed in panic, stumbling backwards while Bakura fumbled to reach his gun. He fired, a loud bang echoing in the forest clearing, followed by a loud grunt of pain from the bullet hitting its' target. Then, it was silent.

After several still moments, Malik dared to lower the hands that had shot up to cover his face and saw Bakura pointing the gun at a man lying on the ground. He wasn't dead, Malik could see him breathing rapidly, but he was no doubt injured. There was a bullet wound on his shoulder, his bronze skin now splattered with blood.

Upon closer inspection Malik saw the man wasn't the same one he had seen at the river. This one's hair was dirty blonde, much like Malik's, but it was spiked up, strands of hair pointing in every direction at absurd angles. Malik stepped closer to see him better. The man was wearing clothes much similar to those Malik had seen on the other man at the river, but this one had a sword strapped to his back instead of him carrying a spear. There was some kind of a pouch strapped to the belt made of leather around his waist. He was glaring at them, lavender eyes burning with hatred and pain. He, too, had framed his eyes with kohl and golden bands decorated his arms and neck.

Malik heard Seto bark at Keith to keep working on getting Jounouchi down, and looked up at the taller boy. Seto made his way to the man and crouched down, not too close, but closer than what Malik felt comfortable with. He opened his mouth to tell Seto to get back, but didn't get the chance as Seto said, "Did you string him up to lure us out?"

The stranger didn't answer. Malik wasn't surprised, really. They didn't even know if these people could speak their language. He only glared at Seto and moved his other hand to press against the wound on his shoulder. Seto sighed, "Can you understand what I'm saying at all?"

The man once again glared at Seto and again, he didn't answer.

Instead, there was a sudden blur of movement. Bakura let out an alarmed shout when the grounder swiftly pulled a knife out of a hidden strap under his belt and sprung up, aiming at Seto, leaving Malik to watch in horror as the knife sunk into Seto's side before Bakura could do anything. Seto yelled out in pain, hunching over with one hand pressing at the wound while Bakura hit the grounder over his head hard enough for the man to lose consciousness. There was another moment of complete stillness, save for Seto heaving on the ground with a knife in his side. Malik felt numb, he stared at the knife and then at the unconscious grounder. Bakura kneeled down next to Seto and tried to pull out the knife, but Seto grunted at him to not do it while swatting away Bakura's hands. He was breathing hard, looking like he was teetering on the edge of consciousness.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Keith let out a victorious sound and when Malik turned to look at him, he had managed to cut down Jounouchi and was now supporting the injured boy, while Anzu ran to see Seto's wound. Malik staggered to Keith, taking Jounouchi from him and said, "You carry Kaiba, me and Bakura can handle Jounouchi. We need to get going already"

"I think I can walk", Seto said breathily, wincing when Anzu helped him up, "Keith, you carry that grounder to camp instead"  
"What are you saying, idiot?", Malik asked, eyes wide, "Of course you can't walk back"  
"He's got a point though, we have to get the grounder to camp with us somehow", Bakura said, looking at the man on the ground, "We need to find out what they know about us and what they're planning. Why they're trying to kill us, how many of them are there… stuff like that"  
"We don't even know if he understands what we're saying!", Malik argued. The last thing he wanted was to bring a grounder into their camp.

In the end he lost the debate, and while Keith carried the grounder, he and Bakura handled Jounouchi. The walk back was agonizingly slow, thanks to Seto's injury, but somehow he was able to walk all the way without collapsing. It was a close call though, Seto looked like he might faint at any given moment.

Ryo was waiting for them when they got back. Malik was pleasantly surprised to see they had gotten a long way with building a fence around the camp while Malik and the others had been gone. The sun had set almost an hour ago, it was now dark all around, so dark Malik could barely see two feet in front of himself and an unsettling silence had fallen over the forest. They moved Jounouchi and Seto into the lower level of the dropship, while Bakura told Keith to carry the grounder to the upper level, tie him up securely and remove his weapons.

Jounouchi was looking worse than when they found him, no doubt from the exertion on the wound in his chest. Malik sat down next to him while Anzu ran out to get water and some other supplies so she could try to remove the knife from Seto's side. Ryo peeked in from the doorway, "You need anything?"  
Malik shook his head, "I don't know. I'm not a medical expert"  
Ryo sighed and walked in, sitting down between Malik and Seto. He looked up at where they could hear Keith tying up the grounder and bit his lip. They were silent for a while, neither of them sure what to do or say. Finally Ryo asked, "What're they going to do with that grounder?"

Malik glanced at him, but didn't answer. He was pretty sure Ryo knew even without him saying it out loud. If the grounder refused to speak, Bakura wouldn't be afraid to use violence to get him to speak. Malik had no doubt about it, if it turned out the grounder couldn't understand them after all, Bakura would most likely kill him. They couldn't afford to just let him go, either. Malik tried his best to not think about that, it wasn't like it had been his idea to bring the man into their camp. He had nothing to do with the whole thing.

Anzu finally came back with whatever supplies she had found and started working on Seto's wound. Malik watched silently as she worked, surprised that Seto didn't make any snide remarks or try to tell her how to do it properly. He probably was in a lot more pain than he let on though, he looked like he was just barely conscious. Malik was tired, exhausted from the day. While Anzu worked on Seto's wound and Ryo sat next to him, humming a calming tune, Malik felt his eyelids slide shut. He vaguely saw Bakura climb up to where the grounder was being held, before he nodded off.

* * *

 _The Ark_

"Sir, we have located the guard who went missing yesterday"

Rishid turned around to look at the two other guards. The looks on their faces told him he didn't want to know what they'd found, but he listened anyway.  
"He was injected with a dangerous amount of sedatives in holding cell 24. He's been taken to the medical wing", one of the guards said, "We checked, this cell belonged to prisoner 51, Bakura Akefia. He was a death row prisoner, with his execution scheduled to take place in two weeks when he turns 20"

Rishid exhaled heavily and nodded, "Thank you, I'll handle it from here"  
The guard standing closest to Rishid gave him the prisoner's folder before they left and Rishid flipped through it. He would need to report this to the Chancellor, it was after all very probable Bakura had snuck into the drop-ship before it was launched and was now down on Earth with the rest of the kids.

Heading for the monitoring room once again, Rishid felt a headache pound against his skull at full force. Everything was getting so messy he wondered if they should have even sent the kids down to Earth in the first place.

The Chancellor and Dr. Kaiba were nowhere to be seen when Rishid entered the monitoring room. Only Dr. Kaiba's assistant was present, which was surprising. Rishid had thought at least one of them would be monitoring the changes on the screen at all times. He glanced up at Malik's picture and once again felt relieved to see he seemed to be alright. Since he last checked, they'd only lost five more kids, so thirty-six in total.

Dr. Kaiba walked in at that moment, seeming deep in thought as he flipped through a folder. Rishid looked at him and asked, "Is something wrong?"  
Dr. Kaiba looked up. He seemed to be exhausted, no doubt having not slept ever since the drop-ship was launched. He frowned and raised his eyes to the screen in front of them.

"There has to be some reason we're losing so many of them", Dr. Kaiba said. Rishid also looked back at the screen, his eyes sliding over the dark tiles that represented the assumedly dead teenagers. Dr. Kaiba rubbed the back of his neck, stifled a yawn and said, "At least we know it isn't radiation killing them, no matter what the Chancellor says"

Rishid nodded, not knowing what to say. He wanted to believe all the kids were safe and sound, but there was not even the slightest proof of it. Finally he said, "Shouldn't we at least take into account the possibility that they're dying?"  
Dr. Kaiba seemed to deflate, but nodded. They stood together in silence, watching the monitors, until they heard a loud crash.

"Great. What's falling apart now?", Dr. Kaiba asked as he looked around for the source of the sound. Rishid walked over to the door behind which the noise had come from, and when he opened it he came face to face with Ryuuji Otogi trying to climb up the ladder into the air ducts. He grabbed the young man and said, "Hey, hey, not so fast. Apparently you have a thing for air ducts, huh?"

Ryuuji sighed and hopped down from the ladder, walking into the monitoring room. He buried his hands into the pockets of his jeans and kept his head low.  
"They're probably not dying", he said. Dr. Kaiba and Rishid both startled and stared at Ryuuji.

"How so?", Dr. Kaiba asked. He stepped closer to Ryuuji, who glanced up at him and shrugged.  
"Well, I figured they're taking the wristbands off on their own accord", he said. Rishid watched him raise his gaze once again and look at the monitors. His eyes glided over the names and faces of the prisoners, until they stopped and he bit his lip. His posture relaxed a little, and Rishid concluded he might have someone important among the prisoners too.

"Why would they do something so irresponsible?", Rishid asked. He couldn't come up with a valid reason for them to do such a thing, even if he hoped it was the case. "Because you told them not to", Ryuuji said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "At least that's what I imagine they'd do after you people almost killed them" Rishid and Dr. Kaiba looked at the monitors once again, this time with new understanding lighting up their eyes. They hadn't even taken into accord before that these were indeed teenagers, and could do such a stupid thing just to get back at them.  
"Excuse me, Dr. Kaiba, Mr. Ishtar", Dr. Kaiba's assistant interrupted them, looking up from her computer screen, "the Chancellor sent me a message to tell you two that there will be a Council meeting in thirty minutes"

Dr. Kaiba and Rishid looked at each other. They both knew it was a meeting to decide whether they should reduce population or not, but now they finally had a valid theory on what was happening with the 100.

* * *

 _The Camp_

Malik was jerked awake from his slumber by loud clanking coming from the second level of the drop-ship. He blinked wearily and frowned, feeling disoriented for a moment. Anzu was still working on Seto's wound, so Malik concluded he hadn't been asleep for very long. Looking around he noticed Ryo had vanished from the drop-ship and Malik stood up. Mai and Tristan were sitting on both sides of the still unconscious Jounouchi, chatting quietly with each other.  
"What's going on?", he asked Anzu, who glared at the ladder leading to the second floor.

"What do you think?", she asked, returning to tending Seto, "Bakura went up there to wake the grounder up a while ago. He's been at it for God knows how long"  
Malik shuddered. He didn't need to know the details to know that grounder was going to be in for a world of pain. Another loud noise from the upper level had Malik walking for the exit.

"Tell me if you need help", he said to Anzu and walked out. The night air was freezing and the only light in the camp came from the measly bonfire they had managed to put together. Ryo was sitting close to the fire, a jacket wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Some of the others were already sleeping in the tents that had been left for them at the drop-ship by the Council.

"We need to find a way to get food", Malik said when he reached Ryo. The white haired teenager looked up at him and nodded.  
"I know. Everyone's getting hungry", he said. They sat side by side and stared into the fire.

It wasn't long before they heard Anzu scream.

* * *

A/N: Okay so here it is :) I hope you enjoyed it and if you did, please leave a review! I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again, but I'll try to be as fast as possible.  
Also if anyone's wondering why I changed from calling Kaiba "Kaiba" to calling him "Seto", it's because I thought it was a bit weird calling him Kaiba and then calling his father Dr. Kaiba lol so he's gonna be Seto from now on.


End file.
